26-29 October 2026, Spuceholme Inn (Fort-Coulonge)

The Canadian Collaborative for Society, Innovation and Policy is inviting expressions of interest from senior leaders across government, academia, funding organizations, innovation intermediaries, Indigenous organizations, and the social sector to participate in an invitation-only leadership retreat.

Bringing together approximately 35 participants, this off-the-record foresight retreat will provide a rare opportunity for strategic reflection, peer exchange, and collective sense-making on a critical question:

How can Canada build the capacity needed to address complex societal challenges through science, innovation, and cross-sector collaboration?

By the end of the retreat, participants will have contributed to the development of an initial roadmap for strengthening Canada’s capacity to address complex societal challenges through science and innovation, including shared priorities, potential coordination mechanisms, and opportunities for collaboration across sectors.

Fill out the form to indicate your interest.

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Why This Conversation Matters

Canada’s science and innovation ecosystem is increasingly being asked to address challenges that are economic, social, environmental, and institutional in nature. Doing so requires new forms of leadership, collaboration, and capacity that extend beyond traditional approaches to innovation.

The retreat will leverage foresight and sense-making to explore how Canada can develop a more mission-driven, impact-oriented innovation ecosystem while strengthening its ability to generate societal value and wellbeing.

A featured Master Class on Mission-Oriented Innovation Policy, developed in collaboration with Charles McIvor of the OECD Mission Action Lab, will provide participants with access to leading international thinking and practice.

A Curated Group of Diverse Perspectives

Participation is intentionally limited to ensure meaningful dialogue and relationship-building.

The final participant group will be selected based on:

• The relevance of participants’ expertise and experience;
• The uniqueness of the perspective they bring;
• Their potential to contribute to cross-sector learning and collaboration;
• The overall diversity of the cohort across sectors, regions, identities, knowledge systems, and lived experiences.

We are particularly committed to creating a space that reflects the principles of equity, inclusion, and co-creation, recognizing that the most effective solutions emerge when diverse voices are meaningfully engaged in shaping them.

Who Will Be There?

In addition to senior leaders from higher education, confirmed participants include senior representatives from organizations such as:

• Canada Chamber of Commerce
• Canada Foundation for Innovation
• Canadian Association of graduate Studies
• CIFAR
• Colleges and Institutes Canada
• Employment and Social Development Canada
• Federation for the Humanities and Social Sciences
• Genome Canada
• Innovation, Science and Economic Development
• Mitacs
• National Research Centre
• Natural Science and Engineering Research Council
• Canadian Institute on Health Research
• Social Innovation Canada
• Social Science and Humanities Research Council
• Universities Canada

Participants Expectations

This is a working retreat, not a conference.

Participants are expected to:
• Attend and fully engage in the retreat;
• Share their experience, insights, and challenges openly;
• Contribute constructively to discussions and collaborative exercises;
• Respect the Chatham House Rule and the confidentiality of discussions;
• Engage with perspectives that differ from their own in a spirit of curiosity and mutual learning.

What Participants Will Gain

Participants will leave with:

• Deeper understanding of emerging approaches to mission-oriented innovation;
• New relationships with leaders across sectors and jurisdictions;
• Greater insight into the capacity gaps and opportunities facing Canada’s innovation ecosystem;
• Opportunities to help shape future capacity-building, policy, and collaboration efforts.

The estimated participation cost is approximately $450, including accommodation at the Spruceholme in for 3 nights, all meals, and round-trip shuttle transportation from Ottawa.

With only a small number of places remaining, interested participants are encouraged to express their interest as soon as possible. We look forward to convening a diverse group of leaders committed to building a more inclusive, mission-driven, and impact-oriented future for Canada.

Fill out the form to indicate your interest.

Contact: [email protected]